Seniors assaulted, tied up in home invasion on Vancouver Island

Nanaimo RCMP are searching for suspects following a violent home invasion in which two seniors were assaulted and tied up.

According to police, the incident happened at about 2:30 a.m. Tuesday, Nov. 27, when two seniors who live on Garner Crescent, were assaulted then tied up as three unknown men ransacked their home.

The couple, who are in their 70s, told police they were awakened by the three men in their house. One of the suspects struck the man on the forehead with a blunt object, knocking him to the ground.

The suspects tied the couple up and then went through the house and took various bank and credit cards, personal effects and jewelry and then drove off in the couple’s 2008 Lexus IS250, bearing B.C. licence plate 044TCV.

B.C. Ambulance paramedics were called and transported the male victim to Nanaimo Regional General Hospital for treatment of a laceration. His wife was uninjured, but traumatized by the ordeal.

“Based on interviews with the victims and certain things said by the suspects, we believe the suspects mistakenly entered the wrong home,” said Const. Gary O’Brien, Nanaimo RCMP spokesman, in a press release.

Mike Gogo, owner of Gogo’s Cedar Products sawmill and a friend of the victims, has put up a $5,000 reward for information leading to the arrests of the suspects.

“All I know is somebody broke into the house at three o’clock in the morning and attacked the guy in bed, stole a ton of stuff,” Gogo said. “I know this guy really well, but it doesn’t matter that I know him. It’s just that anybody in Nanaimo, you don’t need that around here, so I’m putting up a $5,000 reward for information leading to [an arrest] or $6,000 if they deliver the guy to the mill … we’re going to pull the second act of Deliverance on him. The point is that we just don’t need anybody being struck over the head in their bedroom at three o’clock in the morning by three bloody idiots.”

O’Brien said private citizens are within their rights to post rewards, but police don’t advise people take direct action against suspects to collect them.

“The public is more than welcome to offer rewards,” O’Brien said. “We certainly are not involved and we advocate that if the public has information they contact Crime Stoppers, which will pay up to $2,000.”

Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call the Nanaimo RCMP at 250-754-2345 and quote file No. 2018-43539. To remain anonymous, contact Crime Stoppers at www.nanaimocrimestoppers.com or call 1-800-222-8477.